Don’t Be Nice

Friday, September 20 - Thursday, September 26, 2019


The upstart Bowery Slam Poetry Team, made up of five African-American, Afro-Hispanic and queer poets in their 20s, prepares for the national championships. As their coach pushes them past their personal boundaries to write from a painfully honest place, the poets break down, break through, and ultimately write their masterpiece. 

An emotional and inspiring film that gives insightful commentary on race, gender, identity and sexual politics in America today, Don’t Be Nice is both an absorbing competition doc and a vital writer’s workshop that proves once and for all that winning hearts and minds is the ultimate prize.


Official selection: Hot Docs; AFI Docs; Chicago Int’l Film Festival; Palm Springs Int’l Film Festival



  • Country USA
  • Running Time 95 minutes
  • Distributor Juno Films
  • Director Max Powers
  • Producer Nikhil Melnechuk
  • Editor David Lieberman
  • Cinematographer Peter Buntaine
  • Cast Lauren Whitehead, Ashley August, Sean DesVignes, Timothy DuWhite, Joel Francois, Noel Quinones, Jon Sands, Caroline Sinclair, Olutayo Bosede
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.